The Danish sperm bank Donor Network has introduced a requirement that donors must have an IQ above 85 and no criminal record. This filters out about 18 percent of donors. CEO Jakob Schöllhammer Knudsen defends the decision as ethically motivated, while researchers criticize it.
The Danish sperm bank Donor Network has recently introduced an IQ requirement for donors, meaning men with an IQ below 85 can no longer donate sperm. Donors must also have no criminal record. According to the bank's CEO Jakob Schöllhammer Knudsen, this filters out roughly 18 percent of potential donors.
Schöllhammer Knudsen emphasizes that the initiative is not an 'elite project.' 'This is not an elite project. I just don't think it's ethically defensible to sell something I can't stand behind,' he tells DR. He argues that higher IQ correlates with better life chances, including higher incomes, lower risk of mental illness, and longer lifespan. 'Among those who earn the most, there is a larger proportion with high IQ. It may say nothing about your value as a human being, but it says something about the probability of succeeding – even economically – in life,' he adds.
Customers can now select donors based on IQ, in addition to factors like height, eye color, and medical history. The CEO stands on the side of the individual woman and sees it as natural to offer attractive choices. 'I don't think it's controversial at all. It gives the opportunity to choose the sperm donor that is most attractive,' he says.
Researcher Daniela Cutas at Lund University is critical. She argues that it is problematic to assume high intelligence is always positive and that criminal records are genetically determined. 'They are poor indicators of a sperm donor's potential or character,' she tells DR. Cutas points out that genes are not everything; socioeconomic status and upbringing environment also affect a child's chances in life.